"My lady, it's time to get up. Let the servants help you dress up."
As soon as the sky was getting light, Huiyue and Nanzhi walked slowly into the inner room.
The auspicious attire to be worn at the enthronement ceremony is a twelve-layer dress. From hair accessories to clothes, shoes and socks, to makeup, everything must be done in accordance with ancestral rules, so one must get up early and do his makeup carefully.
I thought Ye Jun was still asleep, but when I entered I saw she had already sat up.
"It's rare that no servants called you when Your Majesty got up today. I guess you are in a good mood because of the good news." Nan Zhi said with a smile.
Huiyue also joked, "I think the queen was so happy that she couldn't fall asleep!"
The two girls looked so happy that Ye Jun's ears turned slightly red.
She glared at the two of them and said, "I don't know which two of you cried so much when you got married. Next month, I will kick you both out. Come back in to serve me after you have given birth to the baby."
Nan Zhi and Hui Yue were both shy, so they stopped talking about it and helped Ye Yun wash and change clothes.
In fact, both girls guessed half right.
Ye Jun was naturally happy about the wedding, but her heart was tense due to anticipation and nervousness, so she woke up early today.
After a full hour and a half of meticulous painting, today's complicated look was finally completed.
Kong Qing came in through the curtain at the right time and bowed.
"Your Highness, it's time. The concubines are waiting outside the palace gates, asking you to get on the phoenix sedan chair."
"Got it. I'll be there right away." Ye Jun said calmly.
With the help of Huiyue and Nanzhi, she stood up, adjusted her skirt, and walked out of the hall step by step.
As he stepped out of the gate of Guanju Palace, all the concubines in the harem knelt respectfully to greet him.
When they saw her come out, they all kowtowed to her.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to Her Majesty the Queen. May Her Majesty live a thousand years and be a model mother to the nation. May her blessings last forever!"
Once you kneel down, you will no longer be a member of a certain class.
The concubines all had mixed feelings.
"No need to be polite. I will be in charge of the six palaces in the future. I hope you will help me and live in harmony." Ye Jun smiled and waved her hand.
"I, your humble servant, will do my best for you, Your Majesty, without hesitation!"
Everyone answered in unison again.
Afterwards, Ye Jun was helped by the servants to sit on the phoenix sedan chair.
The concubines in the harem followed the ceremonial procession on both sides according to their rank, and accompanied him all the way to the Golden Palace.
In front of the Golden Palace, civil and military officials dressed in court robes knelt to welcome the ceremonial guard.
The phoenix sedan stopped in front of the red carpet, and Princess Ping and Princess Kang, two of the highest-ranking ladies in the royal family, helped Ye Yun down from the sedan.
He straightened out the wrinkles on her dress and presented her with a jade ruyi.
Finally, they retreated to the sides.
Next, Ye Jun was going to walk across the red carpet with the jade ruyi in her hand, up the nine-step mysterious staircase, and walk to Ning Chen's side.
From a distance, the two looked at each other, their hearts filled with excitement.
Ning Chen had imagined many times what Ye Jun would look like wearing a phoenix robe, but none of his expectations were as good as what he saw today.
After years of experience, Ye Jun looks more majestic when she wears the bright yellow phoenix robe, yet solemn yet gentle, and dignified yet charming, like a piece of jade that has been carved and polished thousands of times, embodying all the beauty of the world into one.
The gilded pearl nine-tailed phoenix hairpin and the oriental pearl peony hairpin are no match for a woman's beautiful face.
As Ye Jun walked forward, his mind was filled with all the experiences of these years.
When she first entered the palace, her position was awkward and she was not favored. She had to work hard to catch the emperor's eye.
Among her batch of beautiful ladies who entered the palace, each one had a strong family background and was both beautiful and talented.
The niece of the Empress Dowager, the niece of the Grand Noble Consort, the cousin of the Queen, the legitimate daughter of the new noble and favorite minister, Chen, Yao, Yang, and Wu, have all sunk into oblivion now.
During her first northern tour, she narrowly defeated Princess Yunrong in an archery contest and shined. Later, she blocked an assassination attempt on Ning Chen and there is still a faint scar on her back.
Perhaps it was from that time that Ning Chen treated her differently.
Later, when she gave birth to the fourth prince prematurely, Ning Chen treated her even better.
Forced to leave the palace to pray, Ning Chen protected her and went with her.
She survived a life-threatening situation when she gave birth to the twin boy and girl, the Sixth Prince and the Fourth Princess. From then on, she became a royal concubine.
Years ago, Zasak was poisoned, and he risked his life to save this life.
When Ye Jun counted carefully, he was surprised. In just over a decade, he had experienced so much.
Images were surging in my mind, and before I knew it I had reached the mysterious stairs.
On the highest step, Ning Chen looked at the woman who was getting closer and closer to him, and the smile in his eyes gradually became brighter.
Suddenly, he strode down the stairs and held Ye Jun's hand in front of all the officials.
"I will personally take you to my side."
A passionate and sincere gaze enveloped Ye Jun. This was Ning Chen's pure and true heart.
Ye Jun gently turned her hand and interlocked her fingers with Ning Chen, her eyes full of tenderness and determination.
"I will hold your hand and grow old with you, through life and death."
The two smiled at each other, then walked up to the Golden Throne Hall together to accept the kowtows of everyone.
From today on, they will be husband and wife forever.
Ye Jun had never asked for the true love of an emperor in the harem, but now the emperor had indeed offered his heart to her.
Then she must also cherish her life.
The enthronement ceremony was completed. If it was the next empress, it would be over here. However, Ning Chen recognized Ye Jun as the first wife and the legitimate empress, so there were still wedding ceremonies to follow.
Ning Chen watched with great reluctance as Ye Jun was surrounded by ceremonial officials, boarded the phoenix sedan chair, and returned to Guanju Palace.
He had to drink and feast with the civil and military officials before he could embrace the beauty.
When Ning Chen was forced to drink by the ministers, Ye Jun was not at ease either.
She had to change her makeup and clothes, put on the phoenix crown and bridal robe, and wait for Ning Chen to come and pick her up with the ceremonial guard.
Time passed slowly with the sound of heartbeats, and as it was approaching dusk, the singing of ceremonial officials finally came from outside the hall.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor is here, please put on your veil and wait for him to come and pick you up!"
Huiyue was so happy that she trotted in.
Ye Jun's cheeks flushed and she felt her heart burning. She quickly poured herself a sip of cold wine and drank it.
I didn’t dare drink too much, firstly because my stomach was not in good condition, and secondly because I was afraid of getting drunk.
Covered with a red veil and holding a peace apple in her hand, she sat upright on the soft couch in the inner room. The room was so quiet that you could hear her heartbeat.
Soon, familiar footsteps sounded beside his ears. Ye Jun lowered his eyes and saw a pair of bright red palace boots with dragon patterns approaching step by step.
A pair of hands with distinct joints appeared before my eyes, and like every time before, they made me feel reliable from the bottom of my heart.
"Qingqing, I'm here to pick you up."
Under the veil, the pretty girl raised her red lips slightly, placed her hand in the man's palm, and let him take her by the hand and walk out of the hall.
Ning Chen had never been so happy before, and the smile in his eyes almost overflowed.
So, when Ye Jun just stepped out of the palace gate, he was suddenly picked up and carried sideways.
In front of everyone, Ning Chen carried her onto the imperial sedan chair.
At this moment, Ye Jun was not panicked at all, because this embrace was so reliable and warm, and worthy of trust.
Outside Zhaochun Palace, there were clan members waiting to watch the ceremony, which was another way of saying the royal family's bridal chamber prank.
However, Ning Chen blocked them all with all his strength and even sent away the ceremonial officer.
At this time, he just wanted to spend time alone with no one to disturb him.
Of course there were some brave ones, such as a few princes who had drunk wine, who jokingly said that the emperor couldn't wait any longer, and everyone burst into laughter when they heard it, making Ye Jun blush.
Ning Chen didn't care about all that. He carried the person into the hall, closed the door, walked into the inner room, and gently put him on the couch.
As soon as it fell, Ye Jun felt a sharp pain.
He stretched out his hand and grabbed a lot of things.
"Peanuts, longans, and red dates?"
"May you have a baby soon. Don't you know the custom of spreading the tent?" Ning Chen curled his lips slightly.
Ye Jun was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud.
"I just didn't expect that the preparations were so complete, even this was prepared."
"For you, of course it should be complete." Ning Chen whispered.
Suddenly, Ye Jun felt the bedding beside him collapse, and he guessed that Ning Chen sat down.
My heart tightened and I folded my hands unconsciously.
"Do you want to lift the veil?"
Ning Chen could hear her nervousness and couldn't help but chuckle.
This made Ye Jun feel so ashamed and angry that she reached out and pushed him, "Lift it or not? You've been looking at the same face for so many years, and now you're still being fussy!"
Before she finished her words, her eyes suddenly lit up and her veil was lifted.
Ning Chen came very close, so close that Ye Jun could see her own shadow in his enchanting phoenix eyes.
The breathing mixed together, and the brightly burning red candles became quiet.
"I have been waiting for this moment for who knows how long. Naturally, I have to be extremely cautious and cherish it." Ning Chen's voice was a little hoarse, and he tried his best to suppress the fanaticism in his heart.
But that look was too alluring.
Ye Jun's pupils shrank slightly. She held the man's face with both hands and covered his red lips.
Before they could even drink the wedding wine on the table, the red curtains had already fallen.
The intertwining of human figures is hotter than the burning of dragon and phoenix candles all night long.
From then on, the wedding of the emperor and empress became a beautiful story in Nanqi.
A few years later, the prince got married.
Just after the wedding date in March, Ning Chen sent someone to call the prince into the palace.
"Now you have a family, and a man should establish a career after getting married. It is time to hand over the southern kingdom to you. I promised your mother many years ago that I would take her to travel in the south. I have decided to set off this journey while the scenery is so beautiful this year."
The prince was stunned, and when he came to his senses, he grabbed Ning Chen's sleeve with a sad face.
"But father, your son is only twenty years old. How can I bear the heavy responsibility of being a king? You can't leave me alone to enjoy life!"
"Hey, why would they leave you alone?" Ning Chen calmly pulled his sleeves out of the prince's hand and pointed outside the door, "Aren't Xun'er and Yuan'er staying in Kyoto to accompany you?"
At this moment, the prince looked outside and saw that the brother and sister had come to Jiuchen Palace without him noticing, and were now peeking inside through the door with a sneaky look.
The prince shuddered immediately and said weakly, "Dad, why don't you and mom take them away together."
"An elder brother is like a father. Jing'er, your parents are old now, and you should take on the responsibility." Ning Chen patted the prince's shoulder earnestly, "When I ascended the throne, I was the same age as you. Now you are just the regent, so don't worry. Your mother and I will leave in seven days. All the memorials will be sent to your house in the next few days. It's time to take over and get used to it as soon as possible."
The prince wanted to refuse with a bitter face, but he was already "invited" to leave.
Looking at the naughty younger siblings in front of me, and thinking about the parents behind me who only care about their own happiness.
The prince is feeling miserable!
But the prince had no choice but to take responsibility with tears in his eyes.
At the beginning of May that year, the emperor and empress traveled south, with the crown prince as regent, and this trip lasted for three years.
Ning Chen fulfilled his promise and took Ye Jun to see all of Nanqi.
After returning to Beijing, Ning Chen announced his abdication and became a leisurely and comfortable emperor. He moved into Lingxi Garden with Ye Jun.
For the next half of their lives, the two stayed together and grew old together.
People all over the world praised Emperor Nanxuan and Empress Ye for their mutual support and love for their whole life, which was envied and yearned for by lovers all over the world.